1. What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between two charged particles. The force is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses Coulomb's Law equation:

Where:

• \( F \) — Electrostatic force (N)
• \( k \) — Coulomb's constant (8.98755×10⁹ N·m²/C²)
• \( q_1 \) — First charge (C)
• \( q_2 \) — Second charge (C)
• \( r \) — Distance between charges (m)

Explanation: The equation shows that like charges repel and opposite charges attract with a force that decreases with the square of the distance.

3. Importance of Coulomb's Constant

Details: Coulomb's constant (k) relates the electrostatic force to the charges and distance. It's fundamental in electromagnetism and appears in many physics equations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both charges in Coulombs (C) and distance in meters (m). The calculator will compute the force in Newtons (N). All values must be positive.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is the value of Coulomb's constant?
A: Approximately 8.98755×10⁹ N·m²/C² in a vacuum.

Q2: How does distance affect the force?
A: The force decreases with the square of the distance - doubling the distance reduces force to 1/4.

Q3: What are typical charge values?
A: Elementary charge is 1.602×10⁻¹⁹ C. Macroscopic objects may have charges in microcoulombs (µC) to millicoulombs (mC).

Q4: Does this work for point charges only?
A: The equation is exact for point charges and good approximations for spherical charges at large distances.

Q5: How does medium affect the force?
A: In other media, divide k by the relative permittivity (dielectric constant) of the medium.